Wuthering Heights is back in the cultural forefront with the new adaptation out in February. With that, it brings a new wave of references and takes on the classic novel out in spades. Whether you liked the new adaptation or found it too far from the source material to stomach, you’ve got an opinion! And so does everyone else!Like with a lot of classic novels, this isn’t the first time pop culture has made reference to the gothic tragedy first published by Emily Brontë in 1847. The tortured story of Heathcliff and Cathy is poked at quite frequently in modern-day media, and many, many Pinterest pins and Tumblr blogs love to share one of the novel’s most enduring quotes about souls and whatever they’re made of. It’s an enduring, if polarizing, novel that has wormed its way into the vernacular of today, especially with the main characters. Many a TV character or modern novel has made reference to the dour, angry leading man or the emotionally volatile leading woman. What better time to take a look at just some of the numerous references to the classic novel in pop culture over the years?In literature, the novel has been adapted into plays, like John Davison’s Wuthering Heights: a play from the novel in 1942, as well as riffed on in poetry. Sylvia Plath, for example, wrote a poem titled “Wuthering Heights,” though it’s debated whether there’s any connection to the novel rather than the location, as did Ted Hughes.Modern authors have taken on the novel’s complicated, for some romantic, character dynamic, adapting the story in different lenses like Tasha Suri’s What Souls are Made of, Layne Fargo’s The Favorites, in which Kat and Heath are figure skaters, or Windward Heights by Maryse Condé, which sets the story in the Caribbean instead of the windswept moors of Yorkshire. You can’t forget to mention the Twilight references to Wuthering Heights, in which young Bella reads the romantic tragedy, quotes from it, and makes a declaration that the real problem of the novel is Catherine, not Heathcliff, after all.Musically, of course, Kate Bush’s 1978 song, “Wuthering Heights“, is a classic take on the novel with a must-watch ethereal music video to match in which the young singer dances around in a white dress while singing about Cathy coming home to Heathcliff. You’ve also got Yoko Ono’s “You’re the One” that references Heathcliff and Cathy, and “Cath” by Death Cab for Cutie.There are also operas that were adapted from the story: Carlisle Floyd’s in 1958, for example, and Bernard Herrmann’s, which was first recorded in 1966 and then staged in 1982.Film and screen adaptations aren’t new to Brontë’s enduring novel either. Filmmakers have been taking a crack at depicting the story as far back as 1920 in a silent film by A.V. Bramble. Soon after came a film adaptation in 1939, directed by William Wyler, with subsequent adaptations to follow, featuring Richard Burton (1958), Ralph Fiennes (1992), and Tom Hardy (2009) as the leading man, Heathcliff.Television hasn’t escaped the enduring vocabulary of Heathcliff and Cathy’s love, either. Shows like Seinfeld, The West Wing, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and even My Little Pony make reference in some way to the story, its characters, and their moody moors. Often, these references need little more than to say the name Heathcliff for those in the know to understand the comparison to the brooding villainous leading man.This is by no means a comprehensive look at the novel’s pop culture references, either. It seems that anywhere and everywhere you look, the doomed love of Heathcliff and Cathy is there, waiting for you to pick up on the story’s enduring impact in pop culture. It’s clear that this take on the book in the new film adaptation isn’t the first, and it certainly won’t be the last to take Brontë’s source material and run with it. (Addison Rizer)
“Wuthering Heights” is sold as ‘the greatest love story of all time’ at the expense of almost all of the novel’s other themes. Brontë’s work was about revenge, class struggle, power, whiteness, and generational trauma. Rather than incorporating these tensions into the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff, the film instantly pairs them together as soulmates, star-crossed lovers separated by circumstance. This is not the toxic love portrayed in the book. Everything unspoken and rich with ‘maybes’ was simply resolved, explicitly having them talk about their feelings to each other and repeatedly showing them having sex throughout the movie. Fennell’s Heathcliff is not brutal or terrifying like the characters tell us over and over. He never behaves abominably and even asks for consent to use Isabella to avenge himself against Catherine, which she turns out to enjoy. The taboo of Cathy’s desire for him is thus completely void of meaning in the film. Heathcliff is not a man who abuses the innocent Isabella, having murdered her dog on their wedding day; he is nothing more than a horny and moody newly rich man. Catherine is not a torn girl corrupted by the workings of the world; she appears innately mean and stupid, obsessed with Heathcliff, who comes nowhere near the monster he is supposed to be.Such narrative streamlining is nothing new for book-to-screen adaptations.Of course, this isn’t always a bad thing. Take Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of The Shining, for example. He considered Stephen King’s book as a jumping-off point rather than a full guide for his movie. But it didn’t matter because Kubrick’s The Shining stood on its own as a masterpiece. “Wuthering Heights” is not a new interpretation of Brontë’s novel. Fennell doesn’t add new dimensions, reframe storylines, or reinterpret the material to make it her own; she simply strips the original story of all its intricacies. Emily Brontë’s book is about characters who are hateful but still full of enough complexity that we are desperate to learn their messy tale. Emerald Fennell’s film is merely about two people overcoming obstacles to fall in love. There are plenty of movies loosely inspired by classic literature (Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Anyone but You, for example) that acknowledge their influences but do not claim to be adaptations of the original, as Fennell did with Wuthering Heights.And this matters. At a time when we rely increasingly on AI for everyday tasks, when we do not read as much, and when polarisation has replaced nuanced debate, promoting a film that dumbs down one of the greatest novels of the 19th century as a ‘love story’ is dangerous. I have seen many people say that this movie is very enjoyable without an “annoying English lit major in your ear.” And that scares me. Literature is by nature political, and Wuthering Heights is no exception. This is not just a ‘fun time.’ It feeds into our current literacy crisis. It is whitewashing. It is an erasure of the original material. I would have no problem if this film had been billed as an original. But if you have seen the movie and think you are now familiar with the story of Wuthering Heights, please go read the novel and realise how far you were from the truth. (Chloé Cerisier)
As an English major, of course, I have a critique of this film; it is by no means deserving of the classic’s title. I read the Brontë novel for the first time about four years ago. I found it to be a long build-up of trauma and complex motives, with a satisfying ending that leaves one wanting nothing more. This movie was anything but satisfying. It eliminated characters critical to the original plot, including the narrator of the novel, one of 11 characters left out. The entire second half of the book is missing, and the movie’s ending had no similarity to that part of the book.However, rather than offering a straightforward comparison between the film and the novel, which has been widely discussed in the media, I believe there is a broader societal insight to consider. The renewed attention to the novel, prompted by this adaptation, highlights shifts in literary engagement and the increasing displacement of classic literature by film. Moreover, the deliberate changes made in these adaptations reflect the intended audience and shape our engagement with the story.I cannot help but wonder if this signals a broader cultural shift, one I find deeply troubling: the death of the novel. While there will always be individuals who appreciate and immerse themselves in literary worlds, I question whether classics such as Brontë’s Wuthering Heights have become too inaccessible for the average reader. Fennell’s film significantly dilutes the original novel; although it was never intended to be identical, the aspects it emphasizes are noteworthy. Rather than exploring themes of class, race, revenge and psychological obsession, the adaptation presents the characters as overtly sexualized, and the story as predominantly an intimate romantic one. In 1847, when the novel was published, there were no explicit sex scenes; the narrative focused on the soul and the tragedy of love. The film amplifies the characters’ destructive and petty actions, reimagining their relationship as a conventional romance, which was not present in the novel. Additionally, the generational narrative is omitted in the absence of any children from either Cathy or Heathcliff, as evidenced by the death of Cathy’s child at the film’s conclusion.Why do we feel the need to dilute these complex stories and reject attempts at literary accuracy? Are we losing our appetite for complexity?Classics are being adapted to reflect modern social values, to captivate your attention.There is no quick satisfaction from reading; it is a slow burn that even when the fire has died, smoke warms the air for longer. People crave instant gratification and are left pining for days. With film, what they’re given is conclusive. Stories are made more exciting to draw in the audience’s attention and make them feel it’s worth their time. We’re evolving into consumers who prefer our stories to be chewed and digested for us rather than attempting to understand the uncomfortable process that comes from real understanding.Not to mention, the language of classic literature is perceived to be far too dense and old for people to understand with ease today. People don’t want to have to put in cognitive effort to achieve entertainment. Our digital habits are leading to a decline in engagement with slow-paced texts, texts that require effort.After the film ended, I overheard a group of teenagers in the restroom. One girl remarked that her mom had given her the book years ago. However, having seen the movie, she felt there was no need to read it. She already had the story, and now, the visualization of her favorite actor in it. This moment spoke volumes about how adaptations can supplant, rather than supplement, these great classics. [...]We are witnessing the death of the in-depth exploration of moral, philosophical and social structures critiqued and examined in classical novels. This is not to say that film does not explore these topics; contemporary films reflect societal anxieties, values and shifts. Literature, however, has the greater ability to create space for interpretation and learning. Film adaptations can be enjoyable on their own. But to equate them with the classics that they borrow from is to do a disservice to the intricacy of the originals. If we truly value these stories and all they offer, we must resist thinking of screen versions as substitutes and encourage people to experience the richness of literature itself.I hope that we can all remember the experience of a good book. Remember: no adaptation can replace the experience of losing and finding ourselves within the pages. (Ellie Walsh)
The “it’s not that deep crowd” only further justify this mentality. Those that claim that the racism in Wuthering Heights is a coincidence or urge us not to read too deeply into what is meant to be “just a steamy romance movie” refuse to engage with critical thinking for the sake of enjoying their slop in peace. Denial, denial, denial. Mindless consumption. White supremacy. Anti-intellectualism. I’m just a girl. The toxic cocktail that has made our society into what it is today.We are in a media literacy crisis. Anti-intellectualism is a tool of the right to suppress critical thinking, so we can’t push back against harmful narratives, racist propaganda and revisionist history. The fact that we are being told to ignore Fennell’s in-film politics, and even what is right in front of our eyes, should ring alarm bells.Wuthering Heights is not a right-wing dog whistle, but it is a litmus test for how much we are willing to let slide. Netflix has recently revealed it will be making a modernised adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray called The Grays, in which Basil and Dorian will be rewritten as siblings, erasing the text’s queer themes. This does not feel like a coincidence.When we enter fascist times, what we see is a push by those in power to reimagine history as being without the undesirable groups they seek to eradicate. We’re seeing this happen in real time, and we can’t let it slide. (Soaliha Iqbal)
This is not a healthy love. It is disrespectful not only to the source material, but also to our own intelligence to suggest that we should view it as ‘the greatest love story of all time’.What is even more disrespectful and degrading to the source material is how Fennell presents Wuthering Heights as exploration of the lustful, Byronic hero, setting Heathcliff alongside the likes of Dracula or Eric from the Phantom of the Opera. There is a crucial difference between Heathcliff and the aforementioned. Yes, he is violent and prone to dramatic mood swings, but his ‘love’ for Cathy and their relationship is not driven by physical touch in the novel. Heathcliff rather shares a spiritual, almost supernatural connection with Cathy. He is not driven by lust or sexual desire. Fennell’s characterisation however disregards this aspect and instead favours her Saltburn style aestheticism. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi spend more time dancing around each other than taking the time to properly explore their friendship and bond as adults. It does not make sense to me that Heathcliff and Cathy had not explored their feelings for each other before, as they both seem to be in their mid 20’s in this adaptation.“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same” is the most notable line from Brontë’s novel for a reason.Furthermore, Fennell’s choice to cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff is a complete misjudgement of who he is. Heathcliff is described as plucked from “the streets of Liverpool” with a “dark skinned” appearance. Brontë’s reference to Liverpool, to me, strongly suggests her intention for Heathcliff to be an orphan because of Liverpool’s slave trade in the late 18th century. His race is crucial to his arc; an outsider to the Earnshaw family who is never fully accepted because of his background. Instead of challenging racial prejudices through introducing an adaptation of Wuthering Heights that takes the subject of Hearhcliff’s race seriously (as many former adaptations have disregarded this topic and cast white actors), Fennell instead gives into them, and ends up dismissing the most fundamental part of Heathcliff’s character and therefore the overall novel. Her choice is reductive: Heathcliff’s treatment as the outsider and his arc do not make sense without the racial power dynamics at play in the novel.I was also left feeling a pit of uncomfortable dread towards the portrayal of Isabella Linton. From literal ‘puppy play’ to sexual abuse, Isabella is painted as a participant in her own assault. Again, a misreading of a character from the novel. Brontë’s Isabella blindly trusts her marriage to Heathcliff, hoping for love and companionship. She is not stupid but rather naive, acting as a literary vehicle for how upper-class women were controlled by the men in their lives without choice. Therefore, to depict Isabella as a participant in her own erasure is insulting to the purpose of her character. It is unforgivable to portray Isabella as rather compliant in her abuse. What initially served as a symbol of hope for women in toxic marriages is completely absent in Fennell’s film, and the implication that she is compliant in her own abuse is damaging to women’s perceptions of relationships and romance, as well as an inaccuracy to the novel and Brontë’s intentions.Overall, even if Fennell had done “Wuthering Heights” justice in her adaptation, we should not be mistaking Emily Bronte’s novel for ‘the greatest love story of all time’. Heathcliff and Cathy are both selfish and cruel.These are not the ‘chains of love’; these are the chains of blind lust and obsession. (Clara Hayhurst)
To be fair, much of the commentary is warranted. Wuthering Heights is a beloved nineteenth-century novel with a transgressive heart. Fennell is a buzzy, frequently provocative storyteller who gleefully embraces excess in all its forms. The idea that she might take on not just a period piece but one of literature’s most famous love stories was a fascinating one, the kind of project that naturally lends itself to all sorts of discussion. And, as it turns out, a wide range of opinions.Reviews of Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” have been mixed, with critics lamenting its significant structural changes from the source material, its revision of the races of several characters in a story where race matters, and its refusal to directly confront the class issues that are so central to the original novel. The movie’s fans are quick to point out its rich visual style, love of anachronism, and unabashed embrace of the toxic darkness at the heart of its central love story. Some viewers love her desperate, erotic take on Cathy and Heathcliff; others insist that, despite the steamy sex scenes, the film doesn’t get freaky enough. Perhaps this, in the end, is truly what Fennell’s films do best: make us argue with one another. [...]This goes double for something like Wuthering Heights, an uncomfortable, dark tale of class, generational abuse, trauma, and revenge that features toxic leads, a doomed romance, and a multigenerational revenge plot that’s so difficult to untangle that most adaptations don’t even try. (The vast majority of film and TV remakes of Brontë’s work almost immediately excise its back half, as Fennell herself does.) Adapting a work like this forces you to make choices and inevitably disappoint. After all, the very act of adaptation is subjective, and some of the best onscreen versions of famous novels (“The Godfather,”“The Shining,”“Dune,” Guillermo del Toro’s recent take on “Frankenstein”) shred their source material with just as much gusto and receive much less criticism for it.This isn’t to say there isn’t plenty to complain about with regard to Fennell’s films. Her work is purposefully indulgent in both tone and subject matter. She has a repeated blind spot about class issues, is often incredibly unsubtle in her storytelling, and wields shock value like a hammer rather than a scalpel. Her movies aren’t for everyone, it’s true. But as a director and a storyteller, it’s hard to ignore that Fennell also likes to take big swings, gleefully embracing the kind of narrative risks that don’t always pay off, but that land like a thunderclap when they do. And although her frequently provocative style can certainly be polarizing, it’s also necessary, perhaps more than ever these days, when our pop culture landscape is dotted with so many sequels, reboots, and retreads that are little more than slight variations on the same kind of story.Love her or hate her, Fennell’s got guts. Her work loves to push boundaries, to make statements, to get people talking. Not everything she tries works, but every choice is made with the kind of full-throated commitment to her vision that too many filmmakers lack. We need more of that kind of attitude in our moviemaking, not less.“Wuthering Heights” is Fennell at her least subversive but perhaps most ambitious. Her take on Brontë’s classic is just that: hers. Viewers may not agree with her particular interpretation—in her foreword to a new edition of the novel, she speaks of recapturing the feeling she experienced reading it for the first time—but her determination to do things her own way is deeply admirable. And the result is not so much an adaptation but a reimagining, a take that explores the feelings connected to the text as much as any of the words on the page.This isn’t that unusual. Genre films are, as often as not, as much about what they make us feel as any specific action that’s happening onscreen at any given moment. Sci-fi epics and superhero blockbusters often don’t even make sense, comprised of the kind of technobabble that falls apart if you squint at it funny. Why shouldn’t Fennell embrace the idea of a “Wuthering Heights” that is little more than the burning emotion and sharp-edged eroticism that’s conveyed in the original but rarely stated outright?Brontë’s novel is, among many other things, a tale of destructive, frustrated, haunting love, and Fennell’s film is too, a mix of nightmare and ecstasy in which vibes rule the day. It’s hardly what anyone would call a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material. But it gets so much of its spirit exactly right, a translation that speaks to many of the reasons we all keep coming back to this story in the first place.That is, of course, what good storytellers do. Fennell will almost certainly keep right on enraging the critics who find her work unsubtle, excessive, or stubbornly unwilling to interrogate larger intersectional issues, even as she delights those who embrace her sharp wit, sumptuous details, and her feverish determination to have it her own way. And we’ll keep talking about whatever she makes next—for good or ill—because we need her, and filmmakers like her, whether we want to admit it or not. (Lacy Baugher)
But set design, no matter how striking, is not enough to save a movie that seems so content to say so little. It’s easier to enjoy the movie when I stop comparing it to the book, but I still feel that Fennell prioritized shock value and visual impact over good storytelling. Even the steamy relationship at the center of the romance falls flat, despite all the corsets, sideburns, and gorgeous Australians involved. In glossing over the ugliness and complexity of Brontë’s original work, Fennell has also discarded the emotional depth that makes the original “Wuthering Heights” such a powerful story. (Anya Petrone Slepyan)
Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff'Wuthering Heights' (2026)One of the easiest examples to include here, Jacob Elordi being cast as Heathcliff in the 2026 version of Wuthering Heights did indeed raise quite a few eyebrows. There was an attempt to stress that this wasn’t Wuthering Heights entirely, and was instead “Wuthering Heights” (the poster includes the quotation marks), so you could argue that mitigates the casting to some extent (they also really only adapted half the novel, if that).Jacob Elordi very much isn't dark-skinned, or of any ethnicity other than Caucasian.Still, Heathcliff is said to be dark-skinned in the book, and there are some other less politically correct (by today’s standards) words used to describe him, and then Jacob Elordi very much isn't dark-skinned, or of any ethnicity other than Caucasian. The 2011 version of Wuthering Heights, directed by Andrea Arnold, is one where Heathcliff – as both a child and an adult – looks more in line with how he’s described in the original book. (Jeremy Urquhart)
Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Wuthering Heights has been pulling in the crowds recently, which is quite a feat in troubled times for cinema. Published in 1847, Emily Brontë’s tale of psycho-sexual power dynamics is just one of many enduring female-authored 19th century novels exploring female sexuality and desire for autonomy. These characters existed within a system that allowed women few education or career opportunities.The ever-popular work of canonical British female writers such as Jane Austen, the (other) Brontë sisters and George Eliot were very different in style and tone. But they also draw attention to various forms of gender inequality.Their novels focused on issues such as inheritance and property laws, the pressure on young women to marry for financial security, the sexual double standard and the lack of career prospects for women. In doing so, they gave voice to the frustrations of an expanding female readership in the 19th century.The work of these and lesser-known female authors was crucial in shaping and fuelling public debates on what was referred to in the mid-Victorian period as “the woman question” (women’s right to vote). It later became the first-wave feminist movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. (Roberta Garrett)
2. Wuthering Heights – Emily BrontëCatherine and Heathcliff are what happens when two people decide vulnerability is overrated. Instead of confessing love clearly, they choose pride and emotional theatrics. The result is generational trauma, broken families, and extremely aggressive weather. If either one had simply said, “I love you, but I’m scared,” we would have had fewer ghosts and fewer revenge plots. But repression apparently builds better atmosphere.3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte BrontëMr. Rochester proposes marriage and somehow forgets to mention one very significant detail about his existing marital situation. It is not a small detail. Jane eventually finds out, and everything unravels. Could he have disclosed this earlier? Absolutely. Would that have prevented the gothic emotional explosion? Yes. But then we would not get attic secrets, dramatic departures, and moral triumph. The plot runs purely on selective disclosure.
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When Emily Brontë published “Wuthering Heights,” in 1847, critics were baffled, alarmed, and mostly unimpressed. James Lorimer, writing in the North British Review, promised that the novel would “never be generally read.” Nearly two centuries later, it’s regarded as one of the great works of English literature. In a live taping of Critics at Large at the 92nd Street Y, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss the staying power of the original text and the countless adaptations it’s inspired, from the 1939 film featuring Laurence Olivier to Andrea Arnold’s 2011 version. The most recent attempt comes from the director Emerald Fennell, whose new “Wuthering Heights,” starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, reads as a romantic fever dream. The movie has been polarizing in part for the way it excises some of the weirder and wilder aspects of its source material. But what’s discarded—or emphasized—can also be revealing. “It’s an audacious proposition to adapt a great novel … I don’t think it needs to be faithful, necessarily,” Fry says. “The adaptation itself becomes a portrait of the time in which it’s made.”Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“Wuthering Heights,” by Emily BrontëKate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” (2026)“Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ Never Plumbs the Depths,” by Justin Chang (The New Yorker)“Barbie” (2023)“Saltburn” (2023)“Promising Young Woman” (2020)“Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Brontë“The Communist Manifesto,” by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx (1848)Peter Kosminsky’s “Wuthering Heights” (1992)William Wyler’s “Wuthering Heights” (1939)Andrea Arnold’s “Wuthering Heights” (2011)“All the King’s Men,” by Robert Penn Warren“I Love L.A.” (2025–)
Taking his seat to watch the opening night of Jane Eyre at Stamford Arts Centre, the chap next to me glanced at the stage and commented to his companion: “I didn’t know it was set on a building site.”While I’ve no doubt he was being waggish, he had a point.The stage for this classic gothic romance was decorated with nothing more than scaffolding forming a platform at the back, and an attic room to the side - this requiring plenty of imagination, since mad Mrs Rochester could have strolled through any of the four open sides.Another slight bugbear, before we begin, was the treatment of the audience regarding the issue of ‘madness’. While in real life I’m all for a modern approach to mental health issues, I’m willing to give Charlotte Brontë a break, not least since she was writing fiction, and in the 1840s.You’d have to be a particularly uptight and unworldly sort to tut at her characterisation of Mr and Mrs Rochester, and yet there’s pretty much a full-page apology for it in the programme.Fortunately, Stamford Shoestring Theatre can be relied upon for solid acting, and Chloe Taylor gave the title character a powerful mixture of reserve and passion, prim principles and a desire to tear down social constraints.Ellie Corrigan, who proved her comedy timing in last year’s production of The 39 Steps, played four parts rather brilliantly, having great fun with lively, insouciant Adèle, Mr Rochester’s French ward - although I’m surprised there wasn’t any hand-wringing in the programme about Gallic stereotypes.Hats off too, to Stephanie Thompson-Collins, on stage throughout the two-hour production as Mrs Rochester, writhing and gurning in her scaffold attic while the plot unfolds front and centre.She could have looked hammy and conspicuous, but instead keeps this strange element of the production simmering in the background - so strange it also requires a page in the programme explaining what the blazes it means.The cast of nine play more than 20 roles between them, without noticeable mishaps or missing lines. Impressively - and this applies to Corrigan and Michael Hughes in particular - several switch from playing children to adults, and paupers to posh folk, changing outfits, accents and demeanours seamlessly over the course of the play.Mr Rochester’s dog is perhaps a human role too far on stage, and although Hughes makes it comic and well-observed, the playwright Polly Teale, who created the stage adaptation in 1998, should have found an attic for the hound and thrown away the key.Shoestring’s Jane Eyre is full of fine acting and tells Brontë’s story well enough, but the scaffolding and the avant-garde ‘embodiments of inner feelings’ is theatre trying too hard to be ‘theatrical’ and forgetting what entertains us ordinary sorts. (Suzanne Moon)
Did I love it? No. Did I enjoy being transported to a world where I could forget about impending midterms and get lost in the messy ride? Absolutely. This film may not be a cinematic masterpiece but for two hours and 16 minutes, “Wuthering Heights” had an entire room of people — Stanford students, middle-aged couples and teenage girls alike — hysterically laughing, gasping and sobbing together. (Chloe Loquet)
The wonder of it is that Wuthering Heights, which was declared to be “unquestionably and irredeemably monstrous” upon publication, exists at all, its creative origins forever obscured by the brief and enigmatic life of its author. The novel, published in 1847 under a male pen name (Ellis Bell), was written by Emily Brontë, a 27-year-old virgin so reclusive she makes Emily Dickinson seem positively sociable. Brontë, who died a year after her book came out, somehow managed to call forth from her vivid, anarchic imagination one of the darkest love stories in Victorian (or any other) literature, creating an unprecedented Demon Lover in the portrait of Heathcliff and an obsessed madwoman in that of Catherine Earnshaw. The erotic undertones are unmistakable and all the more powerful for being suppressed. For all its heaving drama, the plot of Wuthering Heights is remarkably simple, even primitive. It is the age-old one of a soured romance, of childhood sweethearts who are foiled by the adult reality they grow into. Filmmakers and television producers have continually returned to this elusive work ever since it was made into a movie in 1939, starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. This adaptation, written and directed by the controversial Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn), is characterized as “loosely inspired” by the novel—ergo, at liberty to take liberties. The adult Cathy is played by the blonde, blue-eyed Margot Robbie, whose acting chops are in full view once again. Heathcliff is played by Jacob Elordi. Influenced by the aesthetics of soft porn and high fashion, this is a movie with its sights firmly fixed on Gen Z. It works, in its edgy stylistic way, and it should sell heaps of tickets. (Daphne Merkin)
“Wuthering Heights” is not a love story. All-consuming love leads Catherine and Heathcliff to be selfish and cruel to those around them. The film was unfiltered, twisted, dimensional, passionate and beautiful. Through the fog and through the hills, travel to your local AMC or Regal movie theater to see “Wuthering Heights” today. (Talia Scarpa)
Will Wuthering Heights ever be made true to the literary version – of which I have actually read – and at the same time be worthy of the largest screen with the best sound and indeed soundtrack? One may never know. Is this perfect? No. Is this the best adaptation? For me, yes. Despite the hate online, Wuthering Heights remains a gorgeous hit grossing at the time of publication, approaching $160million and counting. (Piers)
When details are altered to the point where the messaging of the book and core ideas are lost, these movie remakes aren’t just misinterpreting the value of the original text for a modern audience. Oftentimes, they are also forgetting things like the commentary embedded into a story that made these books so controversial or beloved, and ignoring the reason why these classics have been adored across generations. (Alyssa Mathews and Reese Neiger)
As in the movie that inspired it, “there’s messiness here, and messiness feels like the point.”
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Touring March 6-May 4thWritten by Charlotte BrontëDirected by Sarah SlatorAdapted by Ethan TaylorMusic by Simon StallardWith: Niall McDaid- St John Rivers // Mr BrocklehurstJack Prince - RochesterIsobel Rathband- Jane EyreLily Smith - Mrs Fairfax // HelenOrphaned and alone, Jane Eyre grows up in a world that seeks to silence her spirit. Defiant in her search for freedom, belonging, and love, she finds herself at Thornfield Hall - where the enigmatic Mr. Rochester hides dark secrets behind its walls.Passion, mystery, and resilience collide in this sweeping story of self-discovery and courage, brought to life in a bold new adaptation - with traditional folk music woven throughout - of Charlotte Brontë’s timeless classic!
Friday 6th March, 5pm & 7.30pm The Town Hall, Reigate, SurreyTuesday 10th March, 7pm St Andrew's Church Worthing West SussexFriday 13th March, 7pm Holy Trinity Church Bothenhampton DorsetWednesday 18th March,7pm St Mary's Church Burham KentSaturday 21st March, 7pm Matfield Village Hall Matfield KentFriday 27th March, 5pm & 7.30pm All Saints Church Little Somborne HampshireTuesday 31st March, 7pm Stowe House Buckingham BuckinghamshireSaturday 11th April,5pm & 7.30pm The Medieval Hall Salisbury WiltshireSaturday 18th April,5pm & 7.30pmHoghton Tower Preston LancashireWednesday 22nd April, 7pm St Mary's Church Hartley Wintney HampshireTuesday 28th April, 7pm St Rumbald Church Stoke Doyle Northamptonshire
How did the Brontë Parsonage Museum get involved with the release of the new Wuthering Heights film?Our museum director, Rebecca Yorke, first met with representatives of Warner Bros and Emerald Fennell’s team over a year ago, in early February 2025.We then invited Emerald to be a speaker at our Brontë Women’s Writing Festival in September and have a private tour of the museum. As the event was the first time she’d spoken publicly about the film, it was very exciting for us to hear about her creative process.Initially, our involvement was through our social media channels. Warner Bros had asked if we’d be happy to share digital assets like trailers and posters on our socials in the lead up to the film’s release. We knew we wanted to be a part of the conversation, especially as anticipation was building.One of our most successful posts was in collaboration with the Wuthering Heights movie Instagram page: we put together a post to celebrate the anniversary of the novel’s publication, which hit 703k views and we gained hundreds of new followers as a result.What has the museum been up to as part of its engagement with the film?The museum has been able to engage with audiences in new and unique ways because of the adaptation. We were invited down to London for the press junket and premiere, and I personally had the exciting opportunity to interview Emerald Fennell and Margot Robbie, the lead actor playing Catherine Earnshaw.It was fantastic to get bespoke content for the museum that was specifically tailored to our audiences. I wanted to bring the conversation back to Emily Brontë’s novel and our collections, and it really came through how much they both appreciate Brontë’s writing and the work we do as a museum.The UK premiere in Leicester Square was a surreal experience, and never a place you’d expect to be when you sign up to work in a museum!The museum had the rare chance to highlight one of our collection items on the red carpet. We worked with stylist Andrew Mukamal and designer Dilara Findikoglu to assist them in the creation of a look inspired by a hair bracelet that belonged to Charlotte Brontë.Victorian hairwork features at different points throughout the film and the museum has multiple pieces of hair jewellery in its collection.We were happy to introduce Andrew to Wyedean Weaving, a local manufacturer, to create a replica bracelet, and also facilitated visits to the museum by Dilara’s team so they could colour-match the hair for the dress to the original bracelet.This fashion moment meant that millions of people have now seen an item in our collection that may not otherwise have done so. From a conservation perspective, it also provided us with the opportunity to do further research into the original bracelet and have it assessed and cleaned by a jewellery conservator.How has the release of the film impacted the current resonance of the Brontë family and their work?The main impact, which I think should be celebrated most, is that so many people are picking up Wuthering Heights for the first time. Sales of the book have increased by almost 500% in comparison to the previous year, and the museum sold 388 copies over February half-term alone. That’s remarkable for a novel that’s almost 180 years old, but as Margot Robbie said in our interview, “what an incredible thing to achieve something so enduring”.There has been so much conversation around the novel, which has led to increasing intrigue from people who want to know what all the fuss is about. Classic literature isn’t always the most accessible and it shouldn’t be taken for granted that a new wave of readers are diving into Wuthering Heights.In addition, the Brontë Parsonage Museum is the place where Emily Brontë lived and wrote her famous novel, and we’ve already seen an increase in visitor numbers. If the film acts as a gateway to discovering the Brontës, then that’s fantastic and we look forward to welcoming those new audiences who want to learn more.Has the experience influenced the museum's future plans around exhibitions, public engagement and beyond?We’ve been holding “Wuthering Heights readiness meetings” since the late autumn! With the buzz already surrounding the film online, we planned related exhibitions, events and new merchandise.Our programme officer curated a photographic installation that presents a century of Wuthering Heights screen adaptations from across the globe, highlighting the various ways this story has been told on screen. There are also many events in our programme focused on Wuthering Heights, along with talks and workshops about hairwork and lace-making to tie in with the themes of the film.We’ve also considered how we can link to the film through our museum displays in ways that new audiences will recognise. Our curators have put together a case of hairwork and mourning jewellery, including the bracelet that inspired Margot Robbie’s UK premiere look.For fans of the film, the museum has also kindly been loaned a prop by LuckyChap Entertainment. A Book of Friendship is a scrapbook shown in the film that Isabella makes for Catherine as a Christmas present. It’s currently on display in the Exhibition Room.Leading on the museum’s social media activity in the build-up to the film’s release, I wanted our content to link back to Emily Brontë’s life and work.I made a video for TikTok and Instagram highlighting various objects in the museum’s collection that belonged to Emily Brontë, set to Charli XCX’s Chains of Love. This is our most viewed piece of content ever, currently sitting at over 830k views – likely because it appeals to both existing and new audiences.Do you have any top tips for other museums looking to make the most of relevant cultural moments?I would say that film adaptations do have a place in writer’s house museums. Screen tourism is a huge driving force for domestic and international visits to the UK, and the role heritage plays in that shouldn’t be underestimated.The Brontë Parsonage Museum will always continue to attract literary tourists as the Brontës’ novels are significant to English literature, but we cannot rely solely on literary tourism as a motive for visits. We also live in a time where social media influences many of our choices: what books we read, what films we watch and where we visit.It’s not about whether an adaptation is faithful to the book, it’s about taking this moment to showcase who we are and what we do to people who are discovering us for the first time.While our engagement with the film has prompted criticism from some quarters, we believe that our content aligns with our brand values of excellence and creativity, fulfilling our mission to “bring the Brontës to the world, and the world to Yorkshire”. (Francesca Collins)
Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” plays like erotic Brontë fan fiction, with a latex dress for Cathy and some finger-sucking for Heathcliff. (Amanda Hess)
Before I enthusiastically leap onto the internet’s already overcrowded hate-wagon for this movie, let me give credit where it is due: the film is undeniably entertaining, visually luxurious, and powered by an addictive soundtrack. That being said, there are certainly a few rather large elephants roaming Fennell’s moors that need addressing. It appears Fennell has constructed a strangely contradictory version of Georgian England. One where racism has conveniently disappeared, and shameless debauchery and public displays of pleasure are normalised. Considering racial discrimination and oppression of women sit at the very heart of Brontë’s novel, it is a striking choice for Fennell to sidestep those tensions by depicting a world saturated with exaggerated perversity; as though oppression is too uncomfortable to depict, but eroticism is fair game. [...]Fennell’s serial aestheticisation persists through Isabella, whose suffering is reframed through a BDSM-inflected lens. To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with depicting consensual kink in cinema. But Brontë’s Isabella is a domestic abuse victim, tortured by Heathcliff. Turning her trauma into stylised eroticism feels backward, even exploitative. In the film, her sadomasochism functions less as character development and more as an ornamental attempt to bring edginess to our white romanticised Heathcliff. Stripped of its narrative weight, Isabella’s degradation becomes spectacle. An invitation for the audience to voyeuristically delve into a kinky and forbidden world rather than reckon with the canonical brutality of her experience.Ultimately, these choices are emblematic of a larger pattern. This adaptation reveals more about what it assumes of its audience than about the story itself. It presumes we crave flattened complexity as long as it comes wrapped in lush cinematography and salacious allusions. And, for once, Fennell is not wrong in this assumption. For centuries, society has romanticised the violent, brooding Wuthering Heights into a tale of tragic star-crossed lovers. So, is this Wuthering Heights a betrayal of Brontë? Perhaps. But it acts more as a reflection of our cultural appetites. As we may question why this version came to be? Afterall, adaptations like this do not materialise in a vacuum. They are facilitated by cultural trends and audience desires. Considering the cultural frenzy sparked by the provocative surplus in Saltburn (2023), it is hardly shocking that Fennell has catered this beloved classic to a modern audience, who are seemingly more interested in the scandalous spectacle Hollywood’s white heartthrob Jacob Elordi might offer us, than in any racial brutality that is at the heart of the original story.If this Wuthering Heights’ adaptation feels like a product of our obsession with aestheticised toxicity and hyper-sexuality, with constantly craving “the stiffy,” that is because we demanded it to be. And perhaps that is the most uncomfortable truth about this adaptation. (Freya McLaughlin)
Ultimately, the film functions as a visually captivating way to pass the time if one enjoys an inaccurate period piece combined with a toxic romance. Anyone who has read the book will likely not enjoy this loose interpretation, since almost everything is different and not as complex. It does not feel especially timely, and I wouldn't feel inclined to rewatch the entire film outside of the theater setting, though I did enjoy it at the moment. (Brooke Benne)
Like Fennell’s previous film, “Saltburn,” “Wuthering Heights” is as grotesque as it is sensual. The up-tight setting of 18th century England is subverted as the characters express their sexuality loudly. At the beginning, a close-up shot of Heathcliff’s scarred back shows the mix of violence and attraction. Lust and violence are prominent in the character dynamics as well. Multiple characters engage in BDSM relationships. Comparing what seems like “Fifty Shades of Heathcliff” to the 1847 novel will shock viewers: fans of the movie are confused by the lack of romance and fans of the novel are clutching their petticoats.“Wuthering Heights” could have been a haunting, sexy historical drama, uncovering the darkest parts of upper-class society through a tragic romance. But by marketing the film as a “Wuthering Heights” adaptation and casting Elordi as a character written as a person of color, Fennell delivers a shallow misinterpretation. (Ad Arnold)
'Wuthering Heights' (1988)With the notoriety of Emerald Fennell's most recent work, the latest adaptation of Emily Brontë's timeless 1847 classic Wuthering Heights, it's worth taking a look back at the best-ever cinematic adaptation of the book. Peculiarly enough, that title falls on an adaptation that moves the story to feudal Japan. It may be an entirely different setting from what Brontë envisioned, yet it's somehow the most faithful to the source material's themes that any cinematic adaptation has ever been.1988's Wuthering Heights is one of the best classic Japanese films for beginners, particularly for those who already love Brontë's seminal literary classic. Erotic, bleak, visually gorgeous, and enthralling even for those who have never read the book, it's one of the best Japanese films of the '80s. All those who have grown disappointed by the many subpar Western adaptations of the novel should consider looking eastward. (Diego Pineda Pacheco)
Emily BrontëWhile Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights might typically be branded as a romance novel, the story is actually quite filled with elements of Gothic horror. From the windswept moors and dreary manor that gives the novel its name to the tortured, haunted character of Heathcliff, the novel is every bit as much of a horror story as it is a romance.Brontë is believed to have drawn inspiration from the crumbling, ghost story-shrouded manor homes she explored while growing up on the English moors, and the atmosphere of dreariness and dread that pervades Wuthering Heights helped shape modern tales of disturbed romance and obsession. The novel also helped earn stories with elements of Gothic horror their place in the literary canon. (Eden Gordon)
JANE EYRE, CHARLOTTE BRONTË (1847)Charlotte Brontë’s gripping romantic Gothic drama Jane Eyre was first published under the pseudonym Currer Bell in 1847. Although immediately popular, the book’s content divided readers and critics alike, and sparked something of a scandal in mid-19th century England. “The heroine herself is a specimen of the bold daring young ladies who delight in overstepping conventional rules,” wrote one critic, while another put it plainly that “it would be no credit to anyone to be the author of Jane Eyre.”The reason for all this pearl-clutching was the novel’s daring content, which (no spoilers) brought several controversial themes and episodes into the homes and minds of Victorian-era readers—and, just as scandalously, put power, intelligence, passion, and determination in the hands of a female character created by a female writer.This was seen by some as anti-Christian, anti-authority, and grossly immoral. “It is the boast of its writer,” wrote one critic, “to trample upon customs respected by our forefathers. […] People were once ashamed to stand forth as the advocates of vice…but such barriers are unhappily broken through, and not by men only, but by women, from whom we naturally look for all that is gentle and loveable.” (Paul Anthony Jones)
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Claude-Michel Schönberg'sA Ballet by David Nixon OBE5 Mar 2027 - 13 Mar 2027 14:30 & 19:30Leeds Grand TheatreOn the wild Yorkshire moors, love isn't tender. It's ravenous.Passionate and obsessive, Cathy and Heathcliff's love is a force of nature — beautiful, brutal and impossible to escape. Told through breathtaking dance and heart-wrenching storytelling, this dramatic tale will sweep you into a haunting world of romance and revenge.Choreographed by David Nixon CBE and set to original music by celebrated composer Claude-Michel Schönberg (West End and Broadway's Les Misérables and Miss Saigon), Emily Brontë’s gothic masterpiece tears itself from the pages and onto the stage in Northern Ballet's adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
March 5, 2026In-person 2pm , Brontë Space at the Old School RoomOnline 7:30pmWhen Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë’s novels were first published in the 1840s, they caused quite a stir. Amidst the more positive reviews, critics singled out the apparent violence of the Brontës’ literary productions as coarse and unfeminine. Violence has since become a provocative, as well as an alluring, influence on perceptions of the Brontë sisters and their major works, one that continues to shape our view of them as writers today.In this talk, we’ll explore the depiction of violence in a selection of Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë’s fiction, alongside its ongoing impact on their cultural afterlives through recent adaptations and biopics such as Sally Wainwright’s To Walk Invisible, to reveal its shifting role in their legacies.Dr Sophie Franklin is a researcher based in the School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin. Her work specialises in representations of violence in nineteenth-century literature and culture, with particular focus on the Brontë family. She has written widely on the Brontës, and is the author of Charlotte Brontë Revisited: A View from the Twenty-First Century (Saraband, 2016) and the recent Violence and the Brontës: Language, Reception, Afterlives (Edinburgh University Press, 2025). Sophie is also an Associate Editor of Brontë Studies.
Warner Bros and MRC’s Wuthering Heights added an estimated $22.6m globally in its third weekend session, taking the total so far to $192.0m – $72.3m in North America and a strong $119.7m across 78 international markets. Emerald Fennell’s film should hit $200m by the middle of this week.Among international markets, UK/Ireland – home to the film’s Yorkshire setting – remains far out in front with $28.3m so far, ahead of Italy, surprisingly strong with $11.5m. Next comes Australia ($11.1m), which is home to the film’s lead actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.Mexico ($8.0m), Germany ($6.5m) and Spain ($6.4m) all rank ahead of France ($4.5m), which is just ahead of Poland ($4.3m). (Charles Gant)
It’s fair to criticize the film for its straying from the source material and rejecting many of the themes that book readers respect about Brontë’s masterpiece. Admittedly, 'Wuthering Heights' isn’t a sacred text to me, so I was not as bothered by such a large change. Especially because going into the film, I knew it was going to be different. Fennell was clear from early on that this adaptation of the story was going to diverge substantially from the source material; this is why the title intentionally has quotations. Instead of focusing on the changes, I enjoyed the movie for what it was, a visually striking, toxic romance. I just want to clearly caution that those expecting a strict book adaptation need to know what they are going into and prepare accordingly.I knew I was going to like “'Wuthering Heights',” but I didn’t know just how much I was going to love it. More than anything, the film (and its press tour) started to slightly conjure feelings from my TITANIC-obsessed adolescence, where I watched the film over and over in theaters and devoured anything the actors did to promote the film. Will I watch this film as many times as I did TITANIC? No, but I will definitely be seeing it again in theaters… and I implore you to see it in theaters as well. The brilliant score, gorgeous cinematography, and Elordi and Robbie’s beautiful faces should be enjoyed on the loudest, crispest screen you can find. (Lauren Bradshaw)
While the adaptation did not capture every layer of Brontë’s storytelling, it introduced the characters and their tragic dynamic in a way that makes the viewers want to understand them more deeply.“The movie definitely made me want to read the book. I got a copy immediately after I saw the movie, ” [Natalia Romero, a senior English major at George Mason University] said.Ultimately, ‘Wuthering Heights’ delivers a visually stunning and stylistically adaptation of a beloved literary classic. The production design, soundtrack, and cast make the film appeal to a modern audience. However, the film struggles to fully translate the emotional depth and complexity of the characters that make the novel so powerful. For many, the movie may serve as an introduction rather than a fully fleshed out story that may leave viewers wanting more. (Emily Gott)
Perhaps it’s facile to say that this backwards-yearning attitude is also very of-the-moment, but it is. Fennell has demonstrated a real knack for diagnosing the times. Her previous films, 2017’s pop feminist black comedy Promising Young Woman and the aforementioned trendy, have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too excesses of Saltburn, allowed her to masquerade as a political satirist. But maybe more than diagnoses, what drew us to these films was that they relayed the cultural background noise all around them back to their audience. Lulled by genuinely compelling visuals and excellent performances into the sense that those previous films had more to say than they did, we came to view Fennell’s films as wanting to offer more biting critique than they actually did. But “Wuthering Heights” has no such pretentions. Fennell ignores the novel’s very real and present concerns with class, race, and heredity because that is what she thinks her moment is asking of her. This film may not be Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, but it certainly feels like something. The title—with its quotation marks—perhaps says it all—this, unlike other notably outlandish but intriguing adaptations, keeps its distance from the original text. It is not Baz Lurhman’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, or even Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is, unmistakably, Emerald Fennell’s very own “Wuthering Heights.” (Sarah Chihaya)
On its own, the film might stand as a moody and visually arresting gothic romance. Its heightened emotions, bold costume choices and stylized performances suggest a director with a clear aesthetic vision. But attaching the name “Wuthering Heights” invites comparison to one of the most layered and politically charged novels in the English language. With that title comes an expectation of thematic depth and fidelity to the novel’s core tensions. Had the film been released under a different name, it might have been received as a creative original screenplay rather than a diminished adaptation weighed down by what it chooses to leave behind.Ultimately, this adaptation raises a larger question about what we owe to classic texts when we revisit them. Reimagining canons is not the problem. In many ways, it keeps literature alive, but reinterpretation requires careful intention. When a story as culturally and politically loaded as “Wuthering Heights” is softened into aesthetic tragedy, something essential is lost. What remains is a film that is easy to watch, understand and market, but far more difficult to defend as a meaningful engagement with the novel it claims to honor. (Abigail Fontz)
If you come for bold stylistic choices, heightened sensuality, and electrifying lead chemistry, this Wuthering Heights offers a lot to savor. Viewers attracted to camp, costume spectacle, and a modern, provocative spin on a classic may find the film entertaining.On the other hand, if you hoped for a careful, historically attentive reassessment of race, class, and colonial context in Brontë’s novel, this version will likely feel insubstantial. The movie gestures at race by casting diversely in places, but it rarely commits to exploring the implications of those choices.Fennell’s adaptation makes clear that remaking canonical texts is always an act of interpretation — and that interpretation carries ethical weight. Who gets to retell a classic? Which elements are preserved, and which are reshaped to fit a director’s fantasies? When race and power are involved, those choices aren’t merely aesthetic.Fennell’s Wuthering Heights challenges viewers to decide whether they’ll accept a visually bold, thematically narrow reimagining — or whether they’ll instead demand adaptations that both dazzle and engage with the hard questions of history and representation. (David Miller)
While I enjoyed the performances of each individual actor, together the film felt very shallow and superficial. Seeing Catherine and Heathcliff make out was just like seeing Margot Robby and Jacob Elordi make out. I was not able to see the actors transform into their characters. I think part of that is due to the fact that the role of Heatchliff was not auditioned for, but simply handed to Jacob Elordi. Many of the roles in the film were given to actors that Fennell had previously worked with in “Saltburn.” If I had not read the book, I am sure I would have had a very different viewing experience. Honestly, if this movie was not connected to Brontë’s "Wuthering Heights," it would have been much better. But, any film following the legacy of Brontë’s twisted novel has a responsibility to uphold its beauty. (Mallika Vairavan)
The movie proves to be visually sumptuous and highlights Fenell's technical savvy. Other than that, with choppy storytelling, characters shuffling through ambiguity and absurdity, this film exists to infuriate everyone who grew up admiring Brontë's work. (Adiba Khondokar)
The film is thematically empty, and any resemblance to thoughtful messaging likely stems from Brontë’s original novel. As even these thought-provoking themes on social dynamics and obsession contradict themselves with Fennell’s desire for a yearning, romantic narrative. Avoiding spoilers, the ending of this film is so far detached from any sense of these themes that I was only left baffled and alienated.But had Fennell’s creativity served any actual purpose, these seemingly tasteless elements would have synced to deliver a daring, biting vision instead of an offensive, cruel perversion. Although I adored the film’s camp reimagining, Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is a shockingly alienating, nihilistic experience. Even as an enjoyer of trash cinema, this movie left too sour of a taste on my tongue for me to enjoy it. My sympathy goes out to anyone who believed this film would have been a good first date movie for Valentine’s Day. Hopefully, your date gave you another chance after that. (Ryley Salazar)
“Wuthering Heights” is in a whole different realm than “BRAT,” and yet, her iconic electronic vocals are instantly recognizable as she portrays this story through music. Without losing her sound as an artist, Charli successfully proved her worth as a versatile songwriter and musician. (Everette Cogswell)
After the dust-up surrounding “Wuthering Heights” by Emerald Fennel, I was made aware of a Japanese version from 1988, (Japanese: 嵐が丘, Hepburn: Arashi ga oka), directed by Yoshishige Yoshida, and starring Yusako Matsuda, and Yuko Tanaka. Consequently, we now have a version of Wuthering Heights that takes place on the smoky plains of a volcanic mountain instead of the moors of England. And the tension is between the divided house of the ruling clan of the area. [...]Heavily influenced by Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, what we see is an intersection of class, sex, violence, and even obsession. Hewing much closer to the text of Brontë’s original book—instead of a windswept, doomed romance —it’s a deeply gothic, disturbingly violent, dark tragedy. [...]If you’re looking for a much more accurate representation of Brontë’s work, this production is most definitely the best direction to go in. (Kwesi Kennedy)
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La Phenomena presentsd’après le roman et la vie d’Emily Brontëmise en scène Maëlle Dequiedtadaptation et dramaturgie Simon Hatabcomposition et ondes Martenot live Nadia Ratsimandresywith Youssouf Abi-Ayad, Sacha Starck, Émilie Incerti-Formentini, Olga Mouak, Nadia RatsimandresyCréation au Festival Cabaret de curiosités du Phénix de ValenciennesMarch 4,5 21:00
Histoire de violence sociale, de vengeance et de fantômes, Hurlevent est le chef-d’œuvre absolu d’une autrice aux prises avec la morale de son temps. Maëlle Dequiedt enracine cette adaptation contemporaine au cœur de l’enfance et y déploie un théâtre incandescent, dans une lecture très personnelle du roman d’Emily Brontë.S’inspirant de l’histoire d’amour orageuse entre Catherine et Heathcliff, le Hurlevent de Maëlle Dequiedt flirte avec l’absurde pour mettre à nu l’humanité profonde de ses personnages. Son écriture de plateau, nourrie par l’improvisation, réunit cinq interprètes à la physicalité intense. Les musiques électroniques live composées par Nadia Ratsimandresy, performeuse d’ondes Martenot, transfigurent tous ces paysages battus par le vent.
More information on sceneweb.
Wed 4 Mar, 7:00pm
Join our four literary houses in an evening to celebrate women writers who supported each other through female networks and creative collaboration as we mark International Women’s Day.
Step into the worlds of novelists the Brontë sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, Fredrika Bremer and their earlier predecessors for a vivid insight into the literary connections and networks that sustained women’s writing lives. Through letters we glimpse supportive mentorships, introductions between writers, friendly editorial advice, the sharing of new publications, and lively discussions of literary ideas.
How did these groundbreaking women support and encourage others through both the written word and practical action? And what of authors like Jane Austen, whose literary network was found in the books she read, rather than in literary friendships?
Celebrate online with us to discover iconic women writers who shaped our world through collaboration and community.
A partnership event with Jane Austen's House, Chawton House and Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.
All the passion of "Wuthering Heights" but none of the shattered-screen heartbreak!Inspired by "Wuthering Heights", this ultra-protective iPhone case serves romantic main-character energy with shockproof, drop-resistant protection!Meet the Wuthering Heights Black Lace Ultra-Protective iPhone Case Moody, dramatic, and tougher than Heathcliff’s emotional baggage.Inspired by "Wuthering Heights", the His and Mine Are the Same Ultra-Protective iPhone Case serves gothic romance with real drop protection, perfect for matching aesthetics
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Soft, comfy, and emotionally dramatic. This white baby tee serves gothic main-character energy without the tragic consequencesRomantic literature, but make it wearable. Cute tee, dramatic quote, zero emotional damage included.Looks minimal, feels soft, reads emotionally complicated. The "Wuthering Heights" x Skinnydip baby tee in black is perfect for low-effort outfits with high-drama energy
InSession Film PodcastOn this episode, JD and Brendan discuss Emerald Fennell's latest film Wuthering Heights! As it has been with Fennell, this film has been quite polarizing and given her approach to the material, it's quite understanding why fans of the book would find it off-putting. But she does have cinematic flair that's undeniable.
Emily Bronte’s 1847 tale is said to contain “misogynistic, homophobic and racist attitudes”, according to dons.It comes after the story was reimagined into a raunchy film released last month starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.The woke warning has been slapped on an English literature Victorian fiction module at Cardiff University, with other greats including Bram Stoker’s Dracula on the reading list.A handbook has staff warning scholars they may encounter Victorian-era attitudes.Yorkshire Moors-set romance Wuthering Heights is among the books which may upset snowflakes.The advisory warns of scenes of “physical and sexual violence, which some students may find distressing” and tells them to seek advice if concerned. (Thomas Godfrey)
Wuthering HeightsMargot Robbie wearing a wedding dress with a huge veil in Withering Heights 2026The actual text of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights doesn’t really open itself up to a movie adaptation. It’s the antithesis of a typical Hollywood love story; the central couple don’t really get along, they’re both deeply flawed human beings, and the supposed hunk exhibits cruel, brutish behavior. A lot of its character development happens internally, so it’s hard to visualize.But the book is such a huge part of so many people’s childhoods that filmmakers like Emerald Fennell will keep taking a crack at it. The 1992 version starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche included the second volume that often gets omitted from adaptations. World cinema legends like Luis Buñuel and Jacques Rivette did their own interpretations of Wuthering Heights. It’s a global enterprise. (Ben Sherlock)
On a cold winter’s morning, sufficiently hat-and-scarfed up, I took a train to Keighley before jumping on a BrontëBus for the short trip through the snow-covered fields of Worth Valley to Haworth - the home of the Brontë family, and the jewel in Yorkshire’s literary crown.By mid-morning the town’s famed steep, cobbled street was beginning to stir. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi featured in some form in the various boutique, antique, and book shop windows that adorn both sides.At the top of the hill stands the church, rebuilt since the days when Patrick, the Brontës’ father, presided over the parish. A few steps further, past the most gothic-looking graveyard you’ve ever seen, and you arrive at the Brontë Parsonage Museum - the first stop of my visit.Visitors to the Parsonage can explore the rooms in which the sisters lived, wrote, and died. These rooms have been transformed into a rich repository, offering the opportunity to learn the family’s history, and peruse various manuscripts and personal effects once owned by the sisters.Upon arrival there was only one topic on the lips of my fellow visitors, which made me consider the film’s potential impact on local tourism.Sue Newby, Learning Officer at the Parsonage, explained: “We always notice an upturn in visitors when there is a new adaptation on film or TV. The Brontë sisters’ own story is fascinating and there is a real appeal for people in seeing where the sisters grew up and produced their work.“We are expecting a sizeable and sustained increase in visitors to the Parsonage and the surrounding area.”Sue also identified a particularly popular Brontë-inspired location nearby: “There is a ruin of a farm known as Top Withens, approximately three and a half miles from Haworth, which anecdotally, is said to have been the inspiration of the house of Wuthering Heights.“The site itself is a beautiful spot, and is very evocative of the story.”Exploring Brontë country was certainly on the day's agenda, but not before a brew. Walking back into town I stumbled upon the Haworth Old Post Office. You won’t be able to post your Brontë-themed postcards here, but they do offer a full menu including award-winning brunch, a licensed bar, and great coffee.The site was a post office when the Brontë sisters were working on their novels, and offers a small glimpse into their world. It is said to have been the location from which the sisters posted their manuscripts to prospective publishers, and Brontë brother, Branwell, even used to crash there after a heavy night of drinking at the nearby Black Bull. [...]I dipped below and resurfaced above a snowy undulation, and all at once the summit closed in on me.From a frozen bench I gazed out over the snow-topped trees and white-capped fields - that desolate white expanse in all its haunting grandeur. It is this duality that shapes Wuthering Heights, as Sue Newby said: “The surrounding moorland landscape plays a part in all the Brontë novels, but in Wuthering Heights the whole of the story takes place there.“Though there aren’t lengthy descriptions of the landscape in the novel, the mixture of its beauty and bleakness is at the very heart of the story.“It’s very clear that the three sisters had a close sense of connection with the surrounding countryside but Emily especially loved it and knew it intimately.”Re-reading passages of the novel in the days following my trek - having traced the steps of the Brontës, felt the ooze of the moorland mud beneath my boots and experienced the icy blast of the Yorkshire wind whipping up from the gorse - I understood this entirely. The moors cast new light on the stark, elemental forces that shape Brontë’s characters. It is a must-do pilgrimage for any Brontë enthusiast.Hike completed and safely back in Haworth, there was only one place I was going for a pre-cinema tipple. The Black Bull makes the corner where the cobbled Main Street branches up towards the church and the Parsonage. Often frequented by Branwell, if his night didn’t end hiding in the post office he was known to escape out of the kitchen window when someone came to fetch him for overindulging. [...]Some of the landscape shots were incredible, filmed 25 miles from Haworth in Swaledale, but with the exhilaration of the hike and its connection to the story still firmly in my mind, I couldn’t help but ask: what has this film added that the moors have not already said?Between the Parsonage, the cobbles of Haworth, and the icy summit at Top Withins, I had experienced Wuthering Heights in its true setting. The film had offered colour and spectacle, but the windswept moors gave something deeper: the story’s wild heartbeat - alive in snow and solitude.In the end, the landscape writes Wuthering Heights more faithfully than any adaptation ever could. (Sam Shakerley Reed)
Read: “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte BronteClassic literature is a popular genre for book-to-film adaptations, with Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” having come out in February 2026. While “Jane Eyre” does have a movie, the book is charming and witty, with a feminist protagonist and many unexpected plot twists. Spring break can be an ideal time to sit down and binge read a good book, and this one is a quirky novel to break open. (Callie Kemp)
